Dear Self,

You're a bright eyed thirteen year old getting ready to venture onto high school, and you're about to experience so many new things. Some of these things will be positive, some will be negative, some will teach you valuable lessons that you will carry with you to this day, and some will surprise you. This year you'll experience your first true heartbreak, I'm not going to lie this will be one of the most painful things you'll experience thus far, but in time the pain will lessen and you'll learn to be happy again, and after a while you'll forget about him and all he was. This year you'll begin to experience insecurity, as you start to pay attention to your weight a little too much, even though you're already underweight. I want you to know that you're beautiful no matter what the scale says, or what you see in the mirror, and in time this will pass too. This year you'll make some new friends, keep them close because they'll make this whole new experience more enjoyable. This year you'll start to find your own style, you'll start wearing makeup, and you'll begin to pick out your own clothes. Just some advice, lay off the eyeliner, blend your foundation, and put away the mini-skirts, believe me you don't need it, I don't even know how mom let you walk out of the house like that.

You're sixteen now, and you've developed into a young woman, and things are going to get a little more complicated. This year insecurity still strikes a sore spot in your mind, and you can't help but cry every time your hair isn't perfectly straight, or if your eyeliner isn't aligned perfectly, but everyone tells you how pretty you look without all of the hassle you endure "making yourself up, please listen to them, it'll make you so much happier in the long run. This year you'll find a new love, and based on the faults in your last relationship you know how you deserve to be treated. Things will get tough between the two of you at some points, because you're both young, but don't give up because he will become one of the best things to happen to you. This year the high school drama will begin to get to you, and you'll want to give up, you'll make every excuse you can to stay home, but don't let this get the best to you, remember you're there for an education, not a popularity contest. This year your pride will be drained from from you, as someone you've told to look up to told you that you'll never be good enough for them, but guess what their opinion is not the end all say all, don't let her rob you of your love for what you enjoy most, because you'll aways be a star in my eyes.

You're eighteen now, the magic age where under the law you can purchase cigarettes, vote, and enter the military, but you're hardly the adult you believe yourself to be, not yet at least. Your'e bright-eyed once again as you get ready to take on the grand endeavor of your freshmen year of college. This year will be your hardest yet, and things aren't going to be easy, and I'm not just talking about schoolwork. This year you'll be given more freedom than you've ever had, just don't let it get to your head, and stay focused on whats important. This year you took your freedom to far, and you experimented with something we don't speak of anymore, unbeknownst to its future effects on you. This year you'll have your first breakdown because you'll let the stress get the best of you, and you'll want to run home to the comforts of everything you know. This year your grades won't be exactly where you wanted them to be, but don't be too hard on yourself, just learn from your mistakes.

We're nineteen now, a sophomore in college, with a good head on our shoulders. I am so proud of how far we've come, not only in life, but in the past 6 months. This summer we did a lot of growing up, and I know we're on the right track now. We're still making our mistakes, but this time we're learning from them. This year we're learning to love us despite our flaws, which has always been of our greatest obstacles to conquer, but with every baby step we're one great step towards total self love and acceptance. This year we're becoming involved in so many new things, and keeping ourself occupied from thoughts that may provoke sadness or doubt. This year wer'e so much happier, and thats all I could ever ask for.